One More Time
by Kristen Elizabeth
Summary: PostDoomsday. Visions plague those separated by time and space. What's real, and what's wishful thinking?


Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me.

Author's Notes: I was so grateful for and inspired by the kind feedback on my first two "Doctor Who" drabbles (posted on the LJ community timeandchips) that I decided to try my hand at something a bit longer. I hope you'll enjoy it, too! Thank you for stopping by.

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One More Time

by Kristen Elizabeth

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For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…

* * *

_You could come with me._

_You can stay here. Fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go…everywhere. _

_You could come with me…_

"Rose?"

She woke with a start, bleary-eyed and blinking rapidly. "Mum? What is it?"

"I heard you talking in your sleep." Jackie sat down on the edge of the bed. "You were dreaming 'bout him, weren't you?"

Rolling over onto her back, Rose stared at the ceiling. "I haven't in months, Mum, I swear. I thought…" She shook her head back and forth on her pillow. "I thought I was moving on, y'know?"

"You are, sweetheart," her mother cooed. "That bloke you met at the coffee shop…you said you had a lovely drink with him the other night."

"He was nice," Rose admitted.

Jackie fussed with the covers, like her daughter was six again and needed to be tucked in. "See there? You are getting better." Her expression grew more serious. "Don't let one little dream set you back, Rose. I couldn't bear it. Not again."

"It was just a dream, Mum." Rose sat up, smoothing her hair behind her ears. "That part of my life is over," she eventually said. "And it's not coming back."

Her ten month old brother chose that moment to wake up, making himself heard throughout the huge house with his ear-splitting cries. He was a Tyler, after all. With a quick apology to her daughter, Jackie left the room, hurrying towards the nursery.

_You could come with me…_

Rose pushed off the covers and stood up. It was one dream, she told herself as she dressed for work. The tail-end of a memory better off forgotten. It was useless to dwell upon the past and forsake the future.

Driving into work, Rose rang up her date from the other evening. By the time she reached Torchwood's offices, she had dinner plans for that very night.

* * *

On the other side of time and space, Martha Jones walked in on something she never thought she'd see. She hadn't even been sure the Doctor did it at all. He seemed above it somehow. Like the needs of ordinary creatures didn't apply to him.

But there he was, stretched out on the floor of the console room, his sonic screwdriver still in his hand, dead asleep.

She was about to back out quietly and let sleeping Time Lords lie, when he suddenly spoke.

"Rose Tyler…" he murmured. "Defender of the Earth." She watched his brow wrinkle like it did when something truly confused or worried him. "You can't…"

With heavy, reluctant steps, Martha went to him and crouched down. "Hey." She not-so-gently poked his shoulder. "Doctor."

His eyes opened so wide she feared they might pop out of his skull. After a few seconds, he blinked and focused on her.

"Pleasant dreams?" she asked him coolly.

"Not a'tall," he replied honestly. Like a bolt of lightning, he launched himself onto his feet. "Where was I?" He answered his own question a second later with a loud, "Anti-time matter contingency device!"

Martha stood up with a sigh. "That supposed to mean something?"

The Doctor paused and frowned. "Not sure." He pointed at her. "Ask me again in an hour." With that, he began pushing buttons and pulling levers.

She realized after a few minutes…he'd completely forgotten she was in the room.

* * *

Halfway through dinner, Rose excused herself on the pretense of needing to use the ladies room. In truth, she needed a moment to collect her thoughts.

The problem wasn't that she was having a bad time. Trevor was everything a woman could possibly ask for: clever, funny, easy on the eye. He was quite a catch, and she'd been on the receiving end of more than a few jealous looks from other women in the restaurant.

No, she wasn't fleeing a bad date. In fact, she was having a good time, maybe the best time she'd had in months. And that horrible realization had sent her into hiding in the bathroom.

Since the date had begun, she hadn't thought of the Doctor even once.

Rose locked herself in one stall and lowered the toilet lid to make a seat. She sat down, trembling madly. A single thought kept repeating over and over in her mind. She'd betrayed him. He'd shown her the universe…he'd been the most important man in her life. And now he was nothing more than a dream.

When too much time had passed for her linger any further, Rose unlocked the door and stepped out. She hadn't cried, but her mascara was still smudged. She walked to the marble counter and set about fixing her face.

As she was staring at her own reflection in the mirror, she blinked. And when her eyes opened again, there he was, just over her shoulder, tall and handsome with the cocky grin she remembered so well.

Rose choked on her own breath as she whipped around to face him. But there was no one behind her.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she slowly looked back in the mirror. His image was still there, smiling at her.

"Doctor?" she whispered, reaching for the glass.

He put one long finger to his lips, winked and disappeared.

* * *

To Be Continued 


End file.
